Online affordability tools usually skip the real math: property taxes that scale with price, insurance, and the DTI cap lenders actually use. This one runs the same calculation we run on a strategy call — your numbers, your real ceiling.
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Educational tool only. Not a quote and not a commitment to lend. The actual program you qualify for depends on credit, reserves, employment history, and lender overlays. All loans subject to underwriting approval.
The calculator shows what the math allows. A 30-minute strategy call turns that max number into a real pre-approval letter — what programs you actually qualify for, the down-payment options that fit your situation, and a structure your real-estate agent can use to write a strong offer.
Schedule My Strategy CallYour numbers travel with you to the form — we use them to prep before the call.
Free 30-minute call. No hard credit pull on the initial call. No obligation.
The DTI cap is what banks ALLOW. It's not what's comfortable. Most clients buy at 60-80% of their max so they keep room for savings, retirement, and life. We model both numbers on the strategy call.
Putting more down lowers the payment but drains liquidity. We compare 3%, 5%, 10%, 20% on your actual file. Sometimes the lower-down-with-PMI scenario wins because of what the saved cash earns elsewhere.
A documentation-backed pre-approval beats a rate-quote letter in a competitive market. Once you have your target price, the next step is a real pre-approval. That happens on the strategy call.
Because lenders include taxes + insurance in your debt-to-income ratio (the "I" in PITI). At OC tax rates of 1.1-1.4%, a $700k home adds $640-820/month in taxes alone — that's a meaningful chunk of your DTI cap. Most online calculators just ignore this.
Lenders typically cap at 43-50% depending on program. But living comfortably usually means staying at 35-40%. Use the calculator with 40% to see your "comfortable" number and 50% to see your "tight" number, then pick somewhere in between based on your savings rate, family situation, and risk tolerance.
This calculator runs conventional-loan math (standard P&I formula, fixed rate, no PMI). FHA, VA, and physician loans change the down payment requirement, the PMI/MIP treatment, and sometimes the DTI cap. We model those specifically on the strategy call.
Most online calculators only look at front-end DTI (housing only) and skip property taxes and insurance entirely. We use total DTI with full PITI, which is what lenders actually use. The result is a more accurate ceiling.
Self-employed buyers often show less income on tax returns than they actually earn (because of deductions). Conventional lenders use the tax-return number. Bank-statement programs and other non-QM options can qualify you on actual cash flow. We identify the right path on the strategy call.
The calculator gives you a ceiling. A strategy call gives you a path: the right program, the right pre-approval strength, and a competitive offer when you find the home.
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Free 30-minute strategy call. No hard credit pull on the initial call. No obligation. If the numbers do not work for you, we will say so.